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If you only do one thing this weekend …

Laurence Mackin

Watch: The Project in Dublin is all about things that challenge the viewer and push the theatrical envelope. This can sometimes make a trip there a risky business, but it can also make for a rewarding and adventurous experience. Here’s hoping Void Story, Forced Entertainment’s latest venture, is the latter. In it, two characters struggle through a cityscape on its knees in an intriguing cross between theatre, graphic novels and radio plays, with Tim Etchell calling the shots. It’s on tonight and tomorrow only so blink and you might just miss it.

Argue: That’s right, roll up your sleeves, sharpen your opinions and prepare to stab some backs – no, not the Choice music prize, it’s the shortlist for the Irish Times Theatre Awards, which will be unveiled on Saturday. I’ll fire the list up here, and you can read about it in the main newspaper to boot. It’s been a particularly strong year for theatre locally so, much like the Choice arguments, expect some tough decisions to be made. Oh, and there will be blood.

Listen: Ah the Choice Music prize artists are so last week. Show your cutting edge at the Certain Three Tour this weekend, with three of the best acts you might not yet have heard live. The triumvirate is made up of We Cut Corners, The Ambience Affair and Windings, and they’ll be ripping it up at the Workman’s in Dublin on Friday night before hightailing it to the Louth badlands and taking refuge in the Spirit Store on Saturday (the wild southwest of Cork gets a look in next Thursday).

Apply: This one might have limited appeal but is still worthy of a shout out I think. Two interesting arts posts are currently vacant with deadlines for both on the horizon. The Dublin Dance Festival is looking for a director to replace Laurie Uprichard, who will step down after this year’s festival. Tempted? According to Uprichard: “It’s been the most fantastic job in my career but I think it’s time that the audiences see a different slice of the dance world – artists chosen by someone with a different imagination, another point of view and different strengths.” The closing date, though, is Saturday so maniacs for the dancefloor will need to get their skate-shaped CVs on. Click here for more information.
The Lir Academy at Trinity College is also looking for a director, to help over see all of its courses and help make it “a centre for excellence in conservatoire training for the theatre, film, radio, and television industries”. The lead time for this one is a bit longer, with applications due by February 18th, and those interested should click here for more information.

We’ve given you things to see, listen and rant about, and a job to boot (well, almost). Leave your own recommendations below, if you have any, for the weekend that is in it. And, in case you haven’t seen it already, here the brilliant Bobby McFerrin uses the pentatonic scale to explain a little bit of neuroscience. First he writes the most hummable song ever, then he conducts the Vienna Philharmonic and then, in 2009, he decided to show the scientists who wears the trousers. Outstanding.